1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a tensioned floor assembly of the type which is portable and/or laid in floor elements which are held together by a tensioning means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of tensioned floor assemblies of the type to which the subject invention pertains are well known, particularly those which are portable by assembly and disassembly for movement between venues. Such assemblies typically include a plurality of floor panels each having four peripheral edges with a top surface and a bottom surface extending between the peripheral edges, a plurality of tensioning stringers for extending over the bottom surface and between opposing ones of the edges to hold the panels in edge to edge abutting relationship, and a plurality of supports extending downwardly from the bottom surfaces of the panels to support surfaces for supporting the panels on concrete, or the like. Examples of such assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,160,155 to Elred; U.S. Pat. No. 1,573,724 to Lowe et al: U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,471 to Dobell; U.S. Pat. No. 2,36,862 to Jones and U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,294 to Livezey.
Most of the prior assemblies comprise a large number of components which are especially manufactured for use only in a specific floor assembly. Often the tensioning system is complicated and/or unsightly. Of course, it is of prime importance that such floor assemblies be of a minimum number of components, easy and fast to assemble and disassemble, not unsightly and fabricated of inexpensive components, preferably fabricated from off- the-shelf elements which are easily modified to fabricate the components.
A tensioned floor assembly comprising a plurality of floor panels each having four peripheral edges with a top surface and a bottom surface extending between the peripheral edges, a plurality of tensioning stringers for extending over the bottom surface and between opposing ones of the edges to hold the panels in edge to edge abutting relationship, and a plurality of supports extending downwardly from the bottom surfaces of the panels to support surfaces for supporting the panels. The assembly is characterized by the stringers including hooks for engaging the edges and the top surfaces of selected ones of the panels.
This combination provides a tensioned floor assembly of a minimum number of components, easy and fast to assemble and disassemble, not unsightly and fabricated of inexpensive and off-the-shelf elements which are easily modified to fabricate the components. The hooks are of simple design and are easily placed between the peripheral edges of the aligned panels to hold the panels in alignment by the stringers running immediately adjacent the bottom surface of the panels.